La Prairie Cellular Lip Colour Effects: Breezy Coral, Pink Shell

La Prairie Cellular Lip Colour Effects ($40.00 for 0.25 oz.) saw the release of two new shades–Breezy Coral and Pink Shell last year. Though both are limited edition, they seem to be readily available where La Prairie is sold. La Prairie’s gloss contains their Cellular Complex, plus Vitamin C and Aloe Vera, while giving lips a slight plumping effect along with moisture.

From La Prairie: This irresistible semi-gloss transparent glaze with lip-plumping properties helps restore youthful fullness while producing a natural luminosity that lasts and lasts. Fortified with vitamins and moisturizers, it soothes, conditions and prevents dryness. It is luxuriously smooth and easy to apply, without feathering or bleeding. Designed to be used alone or applied over your lipstick for added gloss and depth of colour.

These are very decadent glosses; both in the packaging which is long, sleek, and secure as well as the formula itself, which is thicker but not thick. They are moisturizing, and they do last a solid four hours without being a sticky gloss at all. I’m not sure why, but the scent reminds me of something clean – it doesn’t have any of the classic scents like rose, vanilla, berry, but there is something there. A little soapy, I suppose.

Lips do look and appear fuller and softer, not necessarily ultra plump, and there’s nary a tingle from start to finish from the formula, so the effect is subtle. There is a nice shine on this that’s not too over the top with some color though designed to be sheer.

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Product: 27/30

Value: 7/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s a nice gloss, though I’m not sure it greatly improves the health of my lips overall, so some of the marketing spiel gets lost on me. I like them–they’re soft, smooth, easy to apply, and look fantastic. The shades are universally appealing with soft color and sophisticated shimmer that’s never too much. I like that after fifteen to twenty minutes of wear, lip lines are de-emphasized and softened.

What We’re Wearing, Vol. 002

My favorite look from the past week was MAC Dalliance + MAC Centre Stage. That’s it! Very simple. I used MAC Sur Blush on cheeks with Gana Blush to highlight, and finished by slicking on MAC So Vain Kissable Lipcolour.

What was your favorite look you wore recently?

Philosophy Silent Night 3-in-1 Shower Gel

Philosophy Silent Night 3-in-1 Shower Gel ($16.00 for 0.16 oz.) is an earthy lavender-scented multi-purpose product (body wash, shampoo, or bubble bath). It really smells like… well, lavender. If you’re used to sweeter, more vanilla-based lavender scents, you might find this too earthy. I love lavender, and it’s one of my favorite scents to use before I go to sleep, so it’s great for a night time bath or shower.

Philosophy Shower Gels are one of my personal favorites for body washes, because they come in an assortment of scents, with new ones each season. They lather up well and leave skin feeling clean without any tightness or dryness. I wouldn’t call these a moisturizing body wash nor do their scents linger. If you prefer your body wash to leave behind a long-lasting scent, these won’t be for you, but if you like to enjoy the scent while you shower but don’t want it to linger beyond, then these are perfect. (I belong to the latter category!) I don’t find them to lather quite as well in the hair, and they work in a pinch to clean hair, but I prefer many other shampoos over this one. It does, however, work well as a bubble bath, too–a little goes a long way.

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Product: 27/30

Value: 8/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 3/5

FINAL THOUGHTS: If you like more earthy, herb-inspired scents, I think you’ll like Silent Night (given you enjoy lavender as a base, of course).

Wet ‘n’ Wild Hot Paris Pink Lipstick

Wet ‘n’ Wild Hot Paris Pink (520E) Silky Finish Lipstick ($0.99 for 0.13 oz.) is a bright, summery pink with a tiny bit of red-coral pull. It has a creamy, slightly shiny, finish with nearly opaque color. The color pay off is fantastic, and it applies fairly easily and doesn’t drag or pull. This wore for three hours on me before it was significantly faded (my average is four hours), but it managed to pull through a couple sips of water at least.

There is a faint sweetened berry scent that’s a touch synthetic but rather subtle so I wouldn’t say it’s bothersome. I have noticed that some shades have a stronger scent while others seem scent-free, which leads me to believe the scent doesn’t last long (possibly a good thing for some). The cap popped off too easily for my liking; I ended up with lipstick smeared in a makeup bag, which wasn’t so fun to clean-up.

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Product: 26/30

Value: 10/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 3/5

FINAL THOUGHTS: At just under a buck, it’s hard to go wrong with these. Those who are often bothered by the synthetic sweet scents of other drugstore brands may want to avoid these, because as faint as the scent is, it is still there. The color itself was beautiful, the lipstick easy to apply, and it lasted decently, if a bit below average.

Hourglass Gypsy Eyeshadow Duo

Hourglass Gypsy Visionaire Eyeshadow Duo ($38.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a beautiful neutral duo featuring a shimmering, warmed-up champagne beige and a rich, coppered chocolate brown. Hourglass’ Eyeshadow Duos are such an underrated and underappreciated product–the quality is absolutely phenomenal and the shades are infinitely flattering.
Selfishly, I wish they had about a dozen more duos, because their eyeshadows are easily some of the best I’ve come across–and better yet, the quality is fantastic across the range. There are no duds in their duo line-up. Soft, smooth as silk, and buttery texture paired with intense color pigmentation that glides on, blends effortlessly, and can be used wet or dry.

The $38 may seem steep, but don’t let it fool you: there are two full-sized (actually, more than that) eyeshadows inside. Each eyeshadow is 0.10 oz., which is double the average full-sized eyeshadow, for a total of 0.20 oz. The packaging is also this pewter bronze with a swivel top that reveals a mirror inside along with a pint-sized brush (with real bristles) that’s usable and not scratchy.

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Product: 30/30

Value: 9/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 5/5

FINAL THOUGHTS: Hourglass as a brand is underrated, but their eyeshadows are easily my favorite product from the brand. There is something to be said for a brand that puts out consistently high quality products with to-die-for textures. This duo will naturally flatter warmer skin tones but they are not too warm–they will work well on cooler and neutral-toned skin, too.